Brain Code vs Cracking the Cryptic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Brain Code
Engage your mind with over 50 unique logic puzzles that test your problem-solving and creative thinking. This offline game offers an immersive, command-line inspired interface and a progressive difficulty curve. It's perfect for puzzle enthusiasts and anyone looking for a mental workout.
- 50 unique logic puzzles
- Command-line inspired interface
- Multiple solutions per puzzle
- Progressive difficulty
- Offline play
- Built-in hint system
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Brain Code is a command-line-inspired puzzle game. Read a level, type a command, and use the response to work out what to try next. It’s a game about clues and logic, not a coding lesson. Explore 50 handcrafted levels. Some clues ask you to think beyond the obvious answer. No programming experience is needed: curiosity and careful observation are enough to begin. If you get stuck, optional in-game hints can give you a nudge. You can also leave a puzzle and return to it later. The levels can be played offline. Ready to try a different way of thinking? Start with the first level and see where your next command takes you. Questions or a bug to report? contact.kkapps@gmail.com Reading the description again? The last two lines may help. Tech info: STOP 0x000LVL09 REASON "i like this game"
Cracking the Cryptic
This app offers a curated collection of handcrafted Sudoku puzzles from world-renowned constructors. Explore classic and unique variants, with new puzzle packs released regularly. A free introductory pack is included with download.
- Handcrafted Sudoku puzzles
- Curated by expert constructors
- Classic and unique variants
- Regularly released puzzle packs
- Free introductory puzzle pack
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OUR NEWEST PACK – CLASSIC VOLUME #2! Classic sudoku is where it all began, and there is still lots of skill to be deployed to solve classic puzzles, and new techniques to be explored. Nikoli, the Japanese puzzle house, named and popularised sudoku from 1984, and we have commissioned 20 puzzles from them for this Classic Sudoku 2 app. We have also created 20 ourselves, and sourced 20 more from Sam Cappleman-Lynes, the brilliant British sudoku expert. The result is a wonderful 60-puzzle pack which will delight and challenge you. -------------------- Welcome to the brand new Sudoku app from the most popular Sudoku channel, Cracking The Cryptic. Unlike other Sudoku apps, we feature handcrafted and curated puzzles from the world’s best Sudoku constructors. Each collection features puzzles made by various authors that are now familiar names to those who follow the channel. Authors like Phistomefel, Clover, Sam Cappleman-Lynes, Christoph Seeliger, Richard Stolk, jovi_al, Qodec, Prasanna Seshadri and of course, Simon and Mark! Downloading Cracking the Cryptic will give you access to our first free collection – a variety pack by Prasanna Seshadri featuring 7 puzzles inspired from our previous Sudoku apps; Sandwich, Classic, Chess, Thermo, Miracle, Killer and Arrow Sudoku. We also have purchasable packs designed for all skill levels and featuring many unique variants not seen previously. We’ll be releasing more free and paid packs in the future so keep an eye on the app for more Sudoku content from Cracking The Cryptic!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Cracking the Cryptic at none against Brain Code's shown. Cracking the Cryptic also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Brain Code's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 208). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Brain Code sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Cracking the Cryptic sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Brain Code holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brain Code has 1.1K ratings behind it against 208, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Brain Code's written reviews are positive against 72% of Cracking the Cryptic's.
Brain Code ships an update monthly, Cracking the Cryptic every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Brain Code | Cracking the Cryptic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (1.1K ratings) — better | 4.4 (208 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 76.7% of reviews — better | 72.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 208 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 234 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kyrylo Kartukov | Nick Carney |
Customer experience
Brain Code
Cracking the Cryptic
User reviews
Brain Code
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Challenging and creative puzzles
- 👍 Unique coding-based gameplay
- 🧠 Requires out-of-the-box thinking
- 🎨 Clean and minimalistic design
- 💡 Innovative concept
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs with ads and level progression
- 🤔 Some puzzles require too much external knowledge
- 🤯 Extremely difficult at times
- 🔍 Lack of in-game guidance or hints
Cracking the Cryptic
From 208 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Best sudoku app
- 👍 Great variety of puzzles
- 👍 Excellent user interface
- 👍 Challenging and fun puzzles
- 👍 Constant updates with new puzzles
Room to improve
- 🐛 Hints are often incorrect or unhelpful
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes, especially after updates
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🔒 Too many in-app purchases required to access content
Bugs and requests
Brain Code
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to close ads
- Level 24 equation puzzle not accepting correct answer
- Level 39 unbeatable on iPhones without back button
- Level 20 bug preventing progress
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and content updates
- Improved ad experience
- Walkthrough or solution guide
- Keyboard support improvements
Cracking the Cryptic
Reported bugs
4 issues- Puzzle progress and purchases disappearing after updates
- Incorrect rules or hints in certain puzzles
- Crashes and freezes, especially on older devices or Macs
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
Requested features
5 requests- Add more color options for pencil marking and highlighting
- Implement a way to clear progress or start puzzles from scratch
- Integrate all CTC apps into a single app for better organization
- Add keyboard support, especially on Mac
- Improve the quality and clarity of hints
In-app purchases
Brain Code
- pinch of tips$0.99
- handful of tips$1.99
- Platinum Pass$1.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 2x handful of tips$2.99
- tip fan$4.99
- tip master$6.99
Cracking the Cryptic
- CTC Worms - James Sinclair$0.99
- CTC Worms - Marty Sears$0.99
- CTC Worms - Zetamath$1.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- CTC Worms - Blobz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Michael Lefkowitz$1.99
- CTC Worms - Phistomefel$1.99
- GAS Volume #1$2.99
- GAS Volume #2$2.99
- CTC Approachable Sudoku #1$2.99
- Domino Sudoku Pack$4.99
- Lines Variety Pack$4.99
- Classic Volume #2$4.99
- CTC Fog Pack #1$4.99
Questions
Is Brain Code free?
Is Cracking the Cryptic free?
Which has better reviews, Brain Code or Cracking the Cryptic?
Do Brain Code or Cracking the Cryptic have ads?
Which is updated more often, Brain Code or Cracking the Cryptic?
Other comparisons
